Nine vital nuggets about the hows and whys of being a project manager or producer – and why all the hard work is worth it

We’ve been exploring the design roles behind the scenes – project managers, account handlers and producers– in a series with recruitment specialists Represent. We’ve learned a lot (see it all over here) and in the final feature on It’s Nice That we’re drawing together some of the most pertinent conclusions about these behind-the-scenes yet inherently rewarding and creative roles.

To be a successful PM, account manager or producer, you have to be dedicated and unflappable (but it’s worth it)

The variety is just one reason these roles are so rewarding. “No day is ever the same or uneventful, so I aim to prepare and plan as much as possible and respond rationally when a surprise is thrown my way,” says Pentagram project manager Kirstin Sands. “My day to day role ends up being a cocktail of negotiation, motivation and organisation with a lot of financial and deadline checking.” She adds: “Every project manager I have ever met works differently, and I always learn something new from them. Managing expectations by building strong relationships is a big part of the job: with team members, clients, suppliers and contractors. This takes a lot of time and thought to get right, but it’s always worth the effort to make the project go well.”

If you’re looking for a career with progression, project management is pretty good

Without London weighing, a junior project manager can earn on average £26,850. This goes up to £38,900 at senior level, and the average salary for a head of project management can be anywhere between a £70,000 and a cool £120,000.

Project managers are diplomats

They say you can’t please everybody all the time, but that’s exactly what a PM is meant to do. If the client’s not happy, or the creative’s not happy, then there’s something amiss. Erica Garvey, senior program director at Wolff Olins New York, says the roles require “the ability to think in a holistic and strategic manner, empathy and building and instilling trust” in clients, and being able to work with personalities “spanning the spectrum of crazily brilliant to brilliantly crazy.” Grace Davies, project manager at Commission studio, adds: “There’s a lot of back and forth and negotiation to get to a point where everyone’s happy.” Not only does this require a very diplomatic approach and the ability to be reasonable in even the most testing situations, but also a natural intuition and readiness to concede fault. “You have to be 100% prepared to admit you’re wrong and not feel threatened or worried about that,” says Ally Carter, former project manager at YCN Studio/Lovers and current INT Works PM. “It’s never about who’s going to break first, it’s all about showing you understand what everyone’s going through if things get tough.”

The roles may be dominated by women, but it needn’t be

According to a study on gender in the roles from 2013, women occupied 80% of all project management roles and 70% of account management. But this historic precedent might have less to do with the suitability of women over men as other issues within the creative industries. “Special conditions has a lot to answer for and patriarchal structures and attitudes take a long time to be dissolved,” says Sairah Ashman, Wolff Olins global chief operating officer. “The historical narrative has been that women are natural organisers, managers and peacemakers…my instant is that there’s a generational time lag and that the current group of women in senior positions will inspire others to do the same.”

It’s all about organisation

If you’re a PM, producer or account handler, you’ll be juggling multiple products at any one time, and project managers are expected to know exactly what’s going on with creatives and clients at every stage of the project. It’s about having a cool head and a meticulously planned calendar, and it’s nigh on impossible to do those things if you’ve a tendency towards scatty. While every day is different, they will all involve being razor-sharp and on top of things. “When things get busy, I can find myself working across more than ten projects at a time, each exploring completely different areas and outcomes,” says INT Works lead producer Sara Williams. “This means that I have to jump from task to task, making sure that I keep everything going, whilst also knowing exactly what needs to prioritised. It can certainly be quite challenging and there are always several factors to consider at one time, but ultimately I focus on gathering all the required information that we need to know in order to make decisions and progress towards the finish line.”

It’s a role for those comfortable at handling budgets

While being a PM or account handler is inherently creative and at it’s core, about working with people, a huge amount of time and energy centres on budgets – making them, managing them and ensuring they’re stuck to. When Commission won a pitch to create new branding for DKNY, project manager Grace Davies’ first mammoth task was to figure out the budgets for such a big project with multifarious elements for a huge client of a scale the studio had never perviously worked with. “I had to plan each project within the rebrand, and work out with Christopher and David how long each element would take which our fees would then be calculated against,” she explains. “At this stage it’s my job to present the project fees and build a project timing plan to illustrate how and when each part of the project would be realised. I am then responsible for sharing those with the client and from then on going between the design team and the client as we refine the list of deliverables and related fees.”

Tracking time is essential, and there’s a few little things that can help you out

I say Trello, you say Toggle; you say Evernote, I say Asana. A good project manager or producer knows that while organisation is key, no one expects you to be a genius. That’s why there’s a plethora of handy tools and software programmes out there to make to-do lists, timelines, messaging, inspiration boards and online collaboration as easy as possible. Sometimes a wall chart and a colour-coded Filofax just aren’t enough, so make these programmes your best friends.

There are a huge number of different routes into the roles

We’ve spoken to a huge range of PM, account managers and producers throughout this project, and one thing that became clear that there’s no set pathway into the role. Many come from a creative background, however: INT Works lead producer Sara Williams studied Graphic Design at Chelsea College of Art, then worked with a design-led product brand and produced her own prints and homewares before working at an agency that specialised in retail strategy. Ally also studied graphic design, but there’s no evidence that a creative degree or similar is vital. Although an appreciation of the nuances of design and the way creative projects work is helpful, among the people we’ve spoken to with very successful behind-the-scenes of creativity roles people have started their careers with degrees in mathematics, philosophy and political science, or even as a baker. Sylvia Calos, program director and coach at Wolff Olins New York, says: “It’s advantageous to understand how the design process works, how to manage the moving parts and be a strategic communicator.” However, what it all boils down to according to Human After All senior producer Andy Tweddle, is “knowing everything and nothing…don’t be afraid to ask questions or look stupid.”

Your role behind the scenes is vital, rewarding and inherently creative: A project is shaped as much by its PMs, account managers and producers as its creatives

If a project manager’s role in its broadest sense is to get the most out of a project team and creatives, and make sure they’re making the best work they can in the best way they can, then a PM can be said to have as much ownership of that project as the creatives that take centre stage. If they’re being done well, the teams learn from one another and enjoy working together. “If you understand each other’s roles and pressures you can work together to achieve something great. If a producer is involved in the creative process then they are invested in making it happen,: says 4Creative producer Lou Oliver. “We are all in it together and take interest in developing the best solution,” says Thorbjørn Ankerstjerne, art director at MadeThought. “It’s very important we’re all on the same page as the process would be impossible without good people.”

About the project: Project managers, account handlers and producers are the unsung heroes of the creative industries, working away behind the scenes making projects happen all the way from pre-pitch to post-delivery. These masters of organisation, diplomacy and juggling are getting their chance in the sun through a series of articles looking at what they do, how they do it and why these roles are inherently vital and creative.